"Hey! Is anyone there? I don’t wanna be stuck here forever!"

"Why must I—a totally ordinary high school boy—suffer this fate? Why do other Heroes get colorful adventures while I rot in this cell for life?!"

"Worst of all—I don’t even have a girlfriend!"

"I refuse to die a virgin like this!!!!"

Chu Xueyue’s shouts echoed in the jail cell. But after the Dark Lord and his minions had left, only silence answered him.

"Yelling won’t help. They’re not human—they’re demons. Of course no one replies when you call for ‘people’."

"Oh. Right. How did I miss that? They’re demons, not humans."

"Hey, demons! Any demons out there?! Let me out! I don’t wanna spend my whole life here!"

Wait. If no humans *or* demons were around… who just spoke to him? That voice wasn’t his own.

Cold sweat drenched Chu Xueyue’s back. *This is a sword-and-sorcery world. This is the Demon King’s Castle dungeon. Countless prisoners must’ve died here.*

*So… hearing voices when no one’s around? Is this place haunted?!*

"Demons! Help! Ghosts! Someone save me!" Chu Xueyue wailed, snot and tears streaming down his face. (He wasn’t sure if anything else was leaking too.)

"Seriously? Look closer. I’m right across from you—your neighbor. Lived here days and never seen a single ghost." The same voice spoke again.

Hearing he wasn’t talking to a ghost, Chu Xueyue gradually calmed down. But suspicion lingered—what if it *was* a ghost tricking him?

He peered into the opposite cell. There *was* someone—a figure in filthy armor, its original sheen completely hidden under grime. His hands and ankles were shackled by chains, but his head remained free.

"Holy crap! There’s actually another person here!" Relief and surprise flooded Chu Xueyue. *At least I’ll have someone to talk to. No more boredom.*

He’d considered escaping, but had zero useful items. So he’d given up. As for relying on this armored guy? Sure, he looked more imposing than Chu Xueyue—but he was just as trapped. Probably worse off. No point asking *him* for help.

"You’re the new Hero, aren’t you? I never thought the Dark Lord’s summoning ritual would actually work," the armored man said.

*Someone to chat with… better than silence.*

"I don’t know if I’m your ‘new Hero.’ But if this Magic Circle under my feet summoned a Hero… then yeah, I’m probably it."

"Just like the Dark Lord said—you can understand us. That’s proof you were successfully summoned. Our world’s records confirm it: you *are* the new Hero."

"All this was forced on me! I just wanna know how to leave. I want to go home," Chu Xueyue grumbled.

The armored man paused. Every past Hero he knew had vowed to slay the Dark Lord. Even those who returned home did so *after* victory.

"Otherworldly Hero… I regret to say this, but those who returned to their worlds only did so *after* defeating the Dark Lord."

*Go home = defeat the Dark Lord?*

"Wait—you mean I *have* to beat the Dark Lord to go back? You yank us here with summoning magic, then say ‘oh, you can leave after killing our ultimate evil’? Isn’t that ridiculously unfair to innocent people like me?!" Chu Xueyue snapped.

"...It *is* unfair. But for our world’s sake… we have no choice."

"And you’ll learn why soon enough. Timing is the only variable."

"You’ll *really* tell me? Sounds like the kind of thing you’d lie about—or just skip entirely." Chu Xueyue’s eyes narrowed skeptically.

"Let me phrase it officially then."

"Humans lack the magic to send you home. Even the Hero-summoning Magic Circle was a gift from this world to protect itself from the Dark Lord."

"Your ‘Hero’s Blessing’—or what you Otherworldly Heroes call ‘cheat skills’—is also this world’s gift."

"So to return? Defeating the Dark Lord is your only option. Consider it the sole condition for all we’ve given you."

"That… sounds way better."

"If this happened anywhere *but* a prison, I could accept it." Chu Xueyue’s shoulders slumped. "But *here*? This news feels like a nightmare. How am I supposed to beat the Dark Lord from a jail cell?"

Despair washed over him. *Why am I so unlucky? Others build harems while slaying Dark Lords. Me? Stuck here forever. No girlfriend… dying a virgin… No!*

"Wait." Chu Xueyue suddenly looked up. "Who *are* you? How’d you end up here? Isn’t this cell meant for *me*? Am I just a regular prisoner despite being the Hero?"

*This guy’s no ordinary captive. He knows too much. And why’s he locked right across from me?*

A glow suddenly lit the prison corridor.

"Mealtime," the armored man said, ignoring the question.

A demon approached, balancing two trays. Just a food delivery.

"Heh. Enjoying your chat, you two Heroes?" He dropped off the trays and left.

*Two Heroes?*

*He’s… another summoned Hero like me?!*